The Listen List
What the shooby-dooby in my drums are this week:
Albums
1. “Heaven” by Rebecca Ferguson – she was runner-up in the UK’s “X-Factor.” Usually these albums after the competition are a mixed bag at best, but this is a quiet stunner. Beautiful R&B/Pop all co-written by her. Simply lovely.
2. “Our Version of Events” by Emile Sande – the UK is pushing out terrific artists lately like this one. Oddly enough, her lead single is called “Heaven” (see above, but not the same). A bit different from Rebecca Ferguson, but another nice disc to seek out.
3. “The One, The Only” by Chantal Claret – I discovered this young retro throwback a couple of months ago. If Duffy took one step closer to rock, then it might sound like Chantal.
4. “Best of” by Kylie Minogue – really was never too much of a fan, but if you put all of her UK hits on a disc and give it a spin, it is pretty terrific dance/pop. Especially diggin’ the song “Slow.”
5. “Synthetica” by Metric – a total all-female top 5! This female-fronted group is along the lines of Goldfrapp and has a nice edgy sound.
Songs
1. “Hurry Hurry” by Air Traffic Controller – from their Bleu-produced new disc, this song should be a hit. Poppy, jumpy, frantic and quick – much like what the message of the song is. Will probably be one of my favorites of the year.
2. “Shoulder to Shoulder” by Rebecca Ferguson – I dare you to find a more beautiful song out there right now. Brilliant. (Bonus points for using the word “whilst” in the lyrics.)
3. “Don’t Pay the Ferryman” by Chris DeBurgh – remember his mushy “Lady in Red?” Yeah, this is not that.
4. “Bella Donna” by Stevie Nicks – downloaded the witchy woman’s solo disc and forgot about this title track.
5. “New Song” by Howard Jones – I was stuck in the 80s again this week. Just try listening to this without smiling or bopping your head side-to-side….just throw of your mental chains! Woo-woo-woo!
